Platen-operating mechanism for type-writers.



A. SCHNEELOCH.

PLATEN OPERATING MECHANISM FOR TY PE WRITERS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1913.

1 163564. Patented Dec. 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

A. SCHNE ELOCH. PLATEN OPERATING MECHANISM FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED AFR. I0v I913;

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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arreus'r SCHNEELOCH, or onnma, new Yonmhs'srenon, BY mnno'r .AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, or ONE-HALF TO THE onrvnnmnwmrnn. COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, a. CORPORATION or rumors-,yann own-HALF TO mvnnnwoon TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, xv. Y1; a conronarron OF DELAWARE.

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Specification of Ltt Pate ema Dec. 7, 1915.

Original application filed April 7, 1900, Serial No. 11,993. fieiiewed Auguste, 191p, Serial No. 576,392.

Divided and this application filed April 10, 1913. Serial No. 760,193.

Oneida, county of Madison, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Platen-Operating Mechanisms for Type-Writers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to platen operating mechanism for typewriting machines and embodies a controlling means therefor operativeautomatically to lock the platen in raised or'upper case position to permit of writing a succession of characters in upper case and ada ted conveniently to permit of the release 0 the platen then to drop to its normal lowercase position. Also in the provision of a temporary locking device to maintain the platen elevated during the periodof, writing but a single charactenafter vvvliioh it operates automatically to release and return the platen to normal lower case. Thislatte'r 'featnreof the invention is particularly desirable in capitalizing the initial letter of theword commencing each sentence for by it'th'e platen is maintained in its correct elevated position until the first character is written when it immediately causes the return-of the platen for the continuation of the writing in lower case.

This application is a division of my renewal application Ser. No. 57 6,392 filed Aug. 9, 1910, originally filed April 7, 1900, Ser. No. 11,993, Patent 1,058,907, April 15, 1913.

These and other features of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings which the reference characters of this (1- scription are applied tolike parts in t e different views. I

Figure l-is a cross sectional view .of a

. typewriting machine comprising an embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 shows a portion of the mechanism of the same in elevation: Fig. 3 is a plan view of substantially half of the machine havingmy inventionincorporated therein and Fig. 4 is a view in rear elevation of my improved temporary locking-and automatic releasing mechanism. 3 M invention is here illustrated ina typewritmg machine of usual construction having the frame 1, key levers (only one of which is here indicated in Fig. 2) and umversal bar 4, all ofusuah construction and arrangement. The universalf-barfis shown connected at each end'to arms (thy means of links 8, said arms 6 beingtafiixe'd one at each side of the machineon a; rod-5 journaled in thesides of the frame arm 10 1s also aflixed to the rod 5 and said latter arm is connected in the usual manner to an escapement mechanism to providefor the succession feed movements of the carriage and platen. The escapement mechanism is not necessary to be here shown but it will be understood that the same is actuated on the depression of a key lever which operates through the universal bar to move the arms 6forward from their normal rearward position shown in Fig. 1.- Any suitable means is provided to return the connections and said arms to their normal positions on the return movement of the key lever.

As the guiding and shifting mechanism for the platen here described is substantially duplicated at each side of the machine it is sufiicient for an understanding of the same to consider the arts atone side of'the machine'only but ,etter to illustrate the controlling means, hereinafter referred to, I

have shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the duplicated parts of the left and right hand sides of the machine respectively. 3

The guiding and shifting mechanism'here shown comprises the following: Onbracket 40of the carriage "is journaled the platen rod 45, on which arefixed the two swinging arms 4141 carryingeon their curved front ends the platen holder 42, the usual bushing and-platen 139. The-end pieces 24-24 of the usual carriage have the downwardly extending block 43, carrying a roller 44-which engages on each side with the arms m m on engaging with grooved roller 59 on roller bearing arm 58. Said roller bearing arm 58 is hinged to the lower 'end of an arm 57, fixed on platen rod 45, to turn said platen rod and raise the arms 41 41 and with them the-platen'holder and platen into 'upper case position. It will be seen that by reason of the engaging of roller 59 with the rod 51 which is arranged parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage,. a continuous connection is provided between the shift keylevers and the raising arms 41 whereby said armsmay be raised without interfering with the movement of the cars riage. v

Important features of the present invention reside in the provision of improved controlling devices for the platen by which the platen may be permanently locked in its elevated position for the continuous writing of upper case characters or by which it may be temporarily locked in said upper case position for the writing of but one character in upper case when it will automatically be returned to its normal position for the writing of lowercase characters. The said devices are here shown arranged to operate in conjunction with the right hand shift key lever 54 and the left hand shift key lever 54 respectively. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, the device for permanently locking the platen in upper case will be seen to comprise a spring catch 61 journaled on the frame of the machine adjacent to right hand shift key lever 54' and arranged under the influence of a spring 62 constantly to be 7 forced into engagement with a locking pin position so that one character may be there written and upon the next movement of the universal bar the platen will be shifted or returned to normal position so thatthe next character will befrom the lower case. The

projection 115.

following is a description of the mechanism accomplishing this result: Arm 104 attached to thebar 5 bears a pin 108, and said shift key lever 54 bears a pin 109. Journaled on the frame ofthe machine is a catch piece 110 constantly pressed against the said pin 109 on key lever 54 by a spring 111 so that when said key lever 54 is depressed the pin thereon will be caught in catch 112 on said catch piece 110 and held down.

' J ournaled on bearing pin 113 on the upper end of the catch piece 110 is a release block 113 arranged to be yieldable under a horizontal forward pressure by the arrangement of the spring 114 attached thereto and under the influence of which the block normally is held in abutting engagement with the projection 115 of the catch piece. The release block is so positioned that when the catch piece is swung into locking position, and the shift key lever locked down, the release block engages the pin 108 and is swung backwardly thereby. Upon the writing of" a character the universal bar will be rocked upon depression of the key lever to cause the pin 108 also to lower thn to release the block so that in obedience to its spring 114 it will assume its normal position engaging Thereafter, upon the return movement of the universal bar the pin 108 will ascend and engage the under cam surface of the release block now interposed I between the pin'108 and projection115.-

The action of the cam surface then effects the movement of the catch pieceout of en gagement with lever pin 109 whereby the lever is released and the platen returned to lower case. Said shift key levers 54 and 54 are attached to the machine in any suitable manner desirably in a manner similar to that of the key levers. It will thus be seen that upon the depression of the left hand shift key lever the catch piece 110 will operate to retainthe platen in elevated position until the impression of one key has been made when the releasing mechanism described will be actuated by movement of the universal bar automatically to release said catch to permit the platen to return to normal lower case positianby gravity'in the customary manner.

Having described my invention I claim,

1. A typewriting machine having a carriage, arock shaft on the carriage, arms on.

the rock shaft, a platen carried by said arms,

a resilient connection to the rock shaft, a

roller carried bysaid connection, oppositely arranged shift levers, connections therefrom, a bearing rod carried by said connections and arranged parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage to engage the roller whereby movement is communicated from the levers to shift the platen.

2. A typewriting machine having in combination with the platen and connections to shift the platen, a locking catch member adapted automatically to lock the platen in shifted position upon the manipulation of the connections, amovable member connected to be actuated, on'the operation of the key levers/and arranged adjacent to said locking member and a resilient element carried by one. of the members to assume an interposed position to communicate the movement of the movable member to the catch member to release the platen.

3. A typewritingmachine having a platen, a shift lever, connections from the shift lever to the platen to shift the platen, a catch piece suitably fulcrumed to engage the shift lever when moved to shift the platen, a movable member connectedtobeactuated with a return movement by the operation of the key levers, a resiliently supported part carried by the catch piece to engage the movable member on the shifting of the platen, said part being arranged to assume an interposed position between the catch piece and movable member on theinitial movement of said member thereby to communicate the re turn movement of said member to the catch piece to release the platen.

4. A typewriting machine having in comriage, a rock shaft on the carriage, arms on the rock shaft, a platen carried by said arms on the rock shaft, oppositely arranged shift levers, connections therefrom to the rock shaft comprising a bearing rodmovably connected to the shift levers and supported parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage and engaging means on the rock shaft constantly-to engage the bearing rod for communicating movement from the'shift levers to the platen.

6. A typewriting machine having acarriage, a rock-shaft on the carriage, arms on the rock shaft, a platen carried by said arms on the rock shaft, oppositely arranged shift levers, connections therefrom to the rock shaft comprising a bearing rod movably connected to the shift levers. and supported parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage, means on the rock shaft engaging the bearing rod, and a 'counter-balance spring suitably arranged to exert a force to assist in raising the platen.

7. A typewriting machine having a carriage, a rock shaft on the carriage, arms on the rock shaft, a platen carried by said arms on the rock shaft, oppositely arranged shift levers, connections therefrom to the rock shaft comprising a bearing rod movably connected to the shift levers and supported parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage, engaging means on the rock shaft constantly to engage the bearing rod for communicating movement from the shift levers to the platen, and guiding means on the carriage to guide the movement of the platen.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination with the key levers and 'escapement mechanism operated thereby, of a case shift mechanism, a locking device arranged to automatically engage and hold said case shift mechanism in shifted position, and a trip member connected to and movable with said escapement mechanism and operative,

upon the return stroke of the latter. to close said locking device.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST SCHNEELOCH.

Witnesses DANIEL C. BURKE,- ANNA STATE. 

